The screen is interesting. It's not a conventional LCD but an electronic ink screen. It takes a minute to get used to, the screen actually looks like those covers they'd put on new ones to protect them. However its also incredibly easy on the eyes. I've spent a good twelve hours staring at the screen since I got it (thank you asthma) without any eye strain. It's also easy to read anywhere. If you could read a book in the light you can read a Kindle.
I got the 3G version so I can access WiFi networks or the 3G cellphone network if WiFi isn't available. The store via the Kindle itself is fairly easy to use... if you have a rough idea of what you're looking for when you start. I did have one quibble, it's way too easy to accidentally buy something. When you click on a book to take a closer look in the next screen your cursor starts off on the BUY button. I've already managed to buy one book I didn't mean to. The store is quick though and I had entire books downloaded onto my Kindle before I could exit the store to read them. Some books are nicely priced at discounts off the regular price, other's aren't, and paying full retail price for a book I don't get a physical copy of is annoying.
The big thing to remember about a Kindle is that it's an e-book reader, NOT a poor man's tablet. There are a number of games for the Kindle but they're simple and trend towards puzzles and not action games (I don't think the e-ink screen could swing anything action oriented). You can access the internet from the Kindle, but it's not perfect and Facebook managed to freeze my Kindle both times I tried to use it. I'm not overly worried about it, I'm getting a Galaxy S smartphone soon and I'll use that for access to the internet. For what I wanted the Kindle for, reading books and newspapers, it's perfect.
Reliant121 wrote:Good luck with the Galaxy S, i hope your luck is better than ours was with it
I understand there are few glitches with the Galaxy S, which is why my next phone will be the HTC Evo 4G. I think it'll be more reliable, and I'd wait until Android "Gingerbread" comes out before getting the Galaxy S Tab. When it comes out, it'll destroy the iPad. Faster processor, expandable memory, and a screen that makes the iPad look like a '50's tube TV. Seriously, that AMOLED screen is drool-worthy!
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -Benjamin Franklin-
Ive traded my iPad for dads galaxy tab and prefer it by miles but they are really better for different purposes. the iPad is blindingly simple, and just works. the Galaxy tab is for people who want play around with it. Plus the true multitasking is much better for someone who uses a billion things at once such as i. the iPads app switching system doesnt hold a candle.
As for phones, I will never buy anything other than a HTC now, having had everything but a blackberry.
My last few phones were HTC's, they're very solid devices.
I've just got a Dell Streak. Bit big for a phone, but still small enough to carry around with me and the 5 inch screen makes everything else I do on it a hell of a lot easier. Although whilst I am loving Android, its not something I'd want to have to show my dad how to use.
"You ain't gonna get off down the trail a mile or two, and go missing your wife or something, like our last cook done, are you?"
"My wife is in hell, where I sent her. She could make good biscuits, but her behavior was terrible."
It depends on the level of the company's customization. The HTC skin of android, sense, is relatively simple. So is Samsungs touchwiz stuff, ita basically a copy of Apple's stuff with a few added gubbins. Stock android is however a tad more complicated.
Reliant121 wrote:It depends on the level of the company's customization. The HTC skin of android, sense, is relatively simple. So is Samsungs touchwiz stuff, ita basically a copy of Apple's stuff with a few added gubbins. Stock android is however a tad more complicated.
So they're deliberately trying to reproduce all the reasons that Linux has never caught on with ordinary people?
Nickswitz wrote:You mean root Linux, or Ubuntu style Linux, I happen to know quite a few people who use Ubuntu, who know little about computers to boot.
Quite the point I'm making. There's too many of them and they're all different. They all work differently even the basic desktop stuff has more than one flavour (KDE, GNOME, MWM, FVWM, TWM...). I've installed Ubuntu a few times in a VM so we could test software. I say a few times because I, rather stupidly changed the system font size for the desktop and it made the whole system completely un-bootable. You either had to fix it by manually editing text files from the command line using vi or perform a fresh install. Not what I would call ready for prime time.
Ah, I see your point, and it is indeed a very valid one. The many styles of it make it so that people don't want to try to deal with it. Apple is really the only one that is staying consistent over the hardware types, as consistent as they can be at least. Blackberry is sort of doing that except for the new playbook, which they instituted an all new style, that they don't plan on implementing on anything else for a while. I mean even Windows Phone 7 is going to be "skinned" by HTC, because HTC is buddy buddy with Microsoft. However Windows Phone 7 is looking to be the only real contender for a simple smartphone. Android is nice and all if you have a good amount of experience with programming and a good amount of understanding of the base without foolishly wanting to install every "shiny" app out there, but it also has that movement issue, if you have the Motorola Droid, and then you decide to upgrade to say the HTC Incredible, the user experience is completely alien to you and you really have to relearn it, and also you may not even be running the same Android OS, a lot are still stuck back on 1.6, some on Eclair(2.1), and some have Froyo(2.2), while others have Gingerbread(2.3) and some will soon be running 3.0, which I don't remember what it's going to be called. But I can imagine it being quite a hassle for those less technically inclined.
